If you are as clumsy as I will know the value of Applecare+. Apple’s insurance plan gives deeply discounted repair rates and an unlimited number of claims while it is active, reassuring and the rescue if your Mac or iPhone makes an unfortunately fast introduction to a dangerously hard floor.
However, it seems that there is a great change on the road, and could make Applecare+ more expensive long term. If you have been thinking about buying coverage for your Apple device, now it is time to make your movement.
What is the great idea? Well, according to Bloomberg Mark Gurman reporterApple is about to prevent customers from eliminating Apple+ two -year plans in their retail stores and on their devices. Instead, you will only have the option to subscribe monthly or annually.
That matters because the options of several years of Applecare work much cheaper than their subscription offers. For example, a three -year Applecare+ plan for 16-Nech Macbook Pro It costs $ 399, which works with approximately $ 11 per month. However, pay annually and cost you $ 149.99 per year, or $ 449.97 for three years. That is an increase of more than 12% compared to the three -year package.
With the iPhone 16 ProThe difference is even more marked, with the monthly option that ends more than 20% more expensive than opting for a two -year plan.
Therefore, it makes sense to go for the longest options, provided that the initial price can be allowed and know that you will have your device during coverage. But with Apple eliminating the ability to buy the coverage options of several years in their stores and on their devices, you may not have much time to save money.
The Secret AppleCare+ Hack
The only good news here is that Apple will continue allowing you to get the best value coverage in your online store. But even then, we don’t know how much that situation will last. There is also an interesting wrinkle that could make purchase difficult, and it is something that I have personal experience.
I bought a Apple Watch 10 series In September 2024, and I didn’t think I needed AppleCare+ at that time. Usually, you have two months to buy AppleCare+ for your new device, and you can do it from the iOS configuration application. After that, the option disappears.
That seems to suggest that Applecare+ is no longer available for your device, and everything I could find on the Apple website simply said you had to buy it within two months. When I changed my mind about AppleCare+ about five months after the purchase, I assumed it was too late.
However, I kept reading online threads alleging that I could take his watch to an Apple store, make one of the geniuses in the store and, if he passed, eliminate Applecare+ there and then, even if his two months assigned were above.
With nothing more than some scattered reddit threads to continue, I went to my local Apple store to see if this secret pirate worked. Behold, he did: Apple told me that they generally let anyone exceed Applecare+ for their device within a year of purchase, even if it fell out of the normal two -month window. In fact, the employee with whom I talked said that it would not be surprised if Apple one day was expanded from AppleCare+ availability to all Apple devices owners, regardless of how long they would have had their product, provided it was in good condition. The idea was that Applecare+ wins the company a lot of money, so expanding it is a next logical step.
Once the employee inspected my device, the AppleCare+ option reappeared in my configuration application, and hurriedly bought the prepaid two -year coverage option. That was just this week: the fortuitous time given Gurman’s latest news.
Leaving it late
How does that relate to Gurman’s statement about the changing panorama of Applecare+? Well, I could only get the APPLECARE+ coverage so late because Apple inspected me physically. But if things change and can only buy APPLECARE+ LONGER LONG LINE PLANS and not in Apple stores or on your device, how can you get the discount plan and convince Apple that your device is still worthy of road if it falls if it falls out of two months? window?
In other words, it will probably be always always buying an AppleCare+ plan for several years within the two -month initial window, since the online option (which does not require Apple device inspection) will remain. But yes, like me, then it changes your mind, you may end up locked up once the two months are active because the online store route will not allow Apple to verify the condition of your device. With only available subscription options, that will be more expensive in the long term.
That means that if you want to save money in a purchase of AppleCare+, but your device is currently outside the two -month period, you must go to your closer Apple Store as soon as possible so that your device evaluates. Don’t leave it too late.
